Outbreak Reported at Wake County Nursing Home

An outbreak of coronavirus has been reported at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare, a long-term care facility in Knightdale.

Nursing homes have become a hotbed for the virus, which is most dangerous to people over the age of 65 and with underlying medical conditions. Earlier this week, Governor Roy Cooper noted that of 21 outbreaks reported in the state, 18 were at nursing homes.

Two nurses and two patients tested positive for coronavirus. The patients have been admitted to WakeMed Hospital for treatment.

The nursing home, which has about 80 beds, is in the process of testing patients and staff who may have come into contact with those infected, but the test results won't be known for at least a week.

“We’re concerned about the potential for COVID-19 to spread rapidly among residents at the facility, because many of the residents are older and have additional health conditions that put them at risk of serious illness if they contract the virus,” said Kim McDonald, medical director for Wake County.

The facility has been instructed not to allow visitors and staff are asked to refrain from working second jobs in order to curtail the spread of the virus.

As of Friday, 388 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Wake County.

Contact Raleigh news editor Leigh Tauss at ltauss@indyweek.com.

DEAR READERS, WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW MORE THAN EVER. Support independent local journalism by joining the INDY Press Club today. Your contributions will keep our fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle, coronavirus be damned.